The US-led coalition is working to establish a permanent military base in southwestern Iraq, near the country’s border with both Syria and Jordan, the Iraqi al-Maalomah news outlet reported on February 13 citing a source in the province of al-Anbar.

“Vehicles loaded with military equipment came from Jordan to Iraq to establish a fixed American military base to observe these areas,” the source said.

According to the source, U.S. forces are already moving freely in the triangle between Syrian, Iraq and Jordan. However, they are now planning to establish a permanent base equipped with advanced surveillance systems.

The US-led coalition has been trying to expand its military presence in western Iraq, especially near the border with Syria, since last year. In November, a commander of the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) revealed that the coalition is trying to occupy the H3 airbase, known as Abu Rida al-Baldaui, in western al-Anbar.

This recent expansion of U.S. forces in western Iraq along border with Syria can be linked to President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw troops from Syria. Earlier this month, Trump openly said that his country is planning to stay in Iraq in order to “watch” Iran’s actions in the region.

On February 12th, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that Israel struck Hezbollah targets in Syria on the previous day.

This is in direct contrast with the position of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), who have provided no comment or details on any such incident in the Syrian Golan Heights.

Syrian state outlet SANA reported that on February 11th, the IDF targeted Tal al-Douhor in Jabata al-Khashab, Tal al-Deria and Talet Khaled with a number of shells.

Furthermore, the military source claimed that Israeli drones launched 4 missiles on Quneitra hospital and one of the points affiliated to the security guard forces, affirming that the damages were limited to materials.

“We Will Not Stand Idly By”: Yemenis Outraged by Latest Saudi Attack on Fishermen off Hodeida

At least eight fishermen were killed and five injured off the northern coast of Yemen’s Badh Island on Wednesday, when Saudi Apaches launched airstrikes on their fishing boat in waters near the port city of Hodeida. Ten fishermen are still missing following the strike.

Yasser Abker Ahmed Gethem, a 24-year-old fisherman who was in injured in the strike, recounted the events from a hospital bed in Hodeida Hospital’s emergency room.

We were carrying the fish we caught in order to sell them to feed our families. As we waited for sunrise, suddenly, at about 3 a.m. Saudi airstrikes hit our boat. Then we fell into the sea and the warplane came back again and targeted us with another raid. Then I woke up in the hospital — I was lucky because most of my colleagues were lost or killed.”

The death toll is expected to rise. The hospital where most of the victims of the airstrike are being treated is already crowded with a number of victims of previous airstrikes. Ambulances have been unable to transport the wounded victims to Sana’a or other provinces because of concerns over being targeted by more Saudi coalition airstrikes.

One of many human rights abuses by Saudi and their chums yet nothing in the western msm about it. Saudi remains an 'ally' despite being the home of terrorist extremists, used around the region for regime change along with Saudi wealth.

Bibi Netanyahu misspoke. During a “peace conference” in Warsaw, Poland he said Israel wants war with Iran, then he turned around and said that’s not what he meant and “war” in Hebrew has a different meaning.

Israel has pushed the idea of a “war” against Iran for decades. Iran sits atop a list of countries Bibi and the Likudniks want to take out. It was “mission accomplished” in Iraq and Libya, but a failure in Syria. Iran is a tough nut to crack and not a pushover like Iraq (where twelve years of brutal sanctions worked to soften the country up prior to the Bush dynasty’s second round of “creative destruction”).

Here’s Bibi calling for mass murder in the lead-up to his destruction of Iraq. I say “his” because the “war” was orchestrated by a coterie of Likudnik operatives in the Bush administration.

In Hebron, Israel Removes the Last Restraint on Its Settlers’ Reign of Terror

You might imagine that a report by a multinational observer force documenting a 20-year reign of terror by Israeli soldiers and Jewish settlers against Palestinians, in a city under occupation, would provoke condemnation from European and US politicians.

But you would be wrong. The leaking in December of the report on conditions in the city of Hebron, home to 200,000 Palestinians, barely caused a ripple.

About 40,000 separate cases of abuse had been quietly recorded since 1997 by dozens of monitors from Sweden, Norway, Switzerland, Italy and Turkey. Some incidents constituted war crimes.

Exposure of the confidential report has now provided the pretext for Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to expel the international observers. He shuttered their mission in Hebron this month, in apparent violation of Israel’s obligations under the 25-year-old Oslo peace accords.

Israel hopes once again to draw a veil over its violent colonisation of the heart of the West Bank’s largest Palestinian city. The process of clearing tens of thousands of inhabitants from central Hebron is already well advanced.

Any chance of rousing the international community into even minimal protest was stamped out by the US last week. It blocked a draft resolution at the United Nations Security Council expressing “regret” at Israel’s decision, and on Friday added that ending the mandate of the Temporary International Presence in Hebron (TIPH) was an “internal matter” for Israel.

US, UK AND FRENCH SPECIAL FORCES ARE PREPARING TO STORM LAST ISIS STRONGHOLD IN EUPHRATES VALLEY

US, UK and French special forces are preparing to storm the last ISIS stronghold in the middle Euphrates River Valley once it is cleared of civilians and surrendering fighters, the Guardian reported on February 21. Units of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) will also participate in the operation.

The London-based newspaper said that the remaining ISIS fighters are hiding in an area that’s is riddled with tunnels and laced with the improvised explosive device (IEDs) and suicide vehicles. The terrorists are also using civilians, some of them are foreigners, as human shields.

If they are there at all it's to rescue their plants/key members and there are no civilians left in that pocket. SDF are the ones clearing the area and it's a bit late in the say for FUKUS special forces to turn up...unless they have a specific mission...